John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Apart from Christ you cannot do anything, and apart from Christ you cannot draw near to the throne of grace. To Jesus Christ be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time, and now and forever. Amen.
One might ask, “What does this mean that I cannot do anything? For I do things all the time, and so can the atheist.” We must remember that man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Anything that does not come through faith is a sin. That means even our best intentions are sinful if not done by faith in the finished work of Christ.
So then, how are we to proceed? We are to acknowledge our dependency on Christ in all things. We are to seek Him and then step forward in a way that reflects and is affirmed by Scripture and is to the glory of God and not ourselves.
This can only be because of the redemptive work of Christ and can only be done by the power of God. Even the act of writing this commentary cannot be done in a way that glorifies God apart from the work of Christ, for apart from Him, I can do nothing.
Hebrews 4:16, Jude 25, 1 Samuel 16:7, Romans 14:23
Jesus, You are King of kings and Lord of lords. When I read this verse, I confess that my flesh wants to deny its truth and rationalize its way out of it. But that is wrong. Instead, I come to You to repent of my unbelief and plead for mercy in helping me to know You and the power of Christ in my life. Help my heart not to settle on human constructs but to instead flourish in accordance with Your will. I ask this in Christ’s name. Amen